India to take Lanka call after studying final draft resolution

Source :

Last Updated: Mon, Mar 18, 2013 13:31 hrs

New Delhi: Amidst stepped up pressure by southern parties to vote against Sri Lanka at the UN, government today said the "call" will be taken after studying the final draft of the US-backed resolution even as India's Representative to the UN in Geneva will be here tomorrow for consultations on it.

"The resolution in its final form will be available late this evening, Geneva time. The Foreign Secretary has also asked our Permanent Representative to the UN Dilip Sinha to come over to Delhi tomorrow.

"So, that we can have consultations in the matter as it is an important matter for us and he will be able to brief senior officials of the government on what are the ground realities in Geneva and latest position on that.

"So, the call will only be taken subsequent to availability of a resolution and arrival of the Ambassador here for consultation with the senior official in the MEA," official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Yesterday, the government had clarified its statement appreciating the Sri Lankan government for implementing India's suggestions to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) Report and to promote trilingual policy at the meeting of working group at UN Human Rights Council on 15th March in Geneva.

The clarification by government came amidst threats by one of its key allies DMK to withdraw support on the issue.

In its defence, the government said it has stressed for action on issues like early progress towards reconciliation, apart from credible probe into alleged rights violations during the UNHRC meet.

The issue has assumed significance in India given that the southern part of the country has large Tamil population which shares close cultural and religious links with Sri Lanka's Tamil ethnic minority.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Ambassador here said his country has no role in how India would vote on the upcoming US-sponsored resolution on March 21 in UNHRC. "They (India) will take the right decision, of course, depending upon their own compulsion and their own considerations," he said.